The Return to the Kingdom
by Imagination-Parade
Summary: Character-driven sequel to "The Girl in the Theme Park." Booth and Brennan take Parker to Walt Disney World to celebrate their first anniversary.
1. One Quick Stop

_Hello, everyone! This is sequel to the story I recently posted called "The Girl in the Theme Park" about Booth & Brennan's case in Disney World. I don't think it's completely necessary to read that story first (that's a case story, and this _definitely_ isn't,) but I would recommend it since this story is going to have (mostly minor) references to that one in it. _

_For those of you that read the first one, sorry for the delay in this sequel! I haven't had a lot of time to write, as my family just spent a month vacationing here. That month included visiting Magic Kingdom with my sister, and after writing "The Girl in the Theme Park," I'm fairly positive that I'll never look at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride the same way again. It's always been one of my favorites but now that I turned the largest and darkest room of the ride into a murder crime scene? Yeah, totally creepy._

_That being said, this story is set a year after the other one ended and will probably be about four chapters long. I hope you all enjoy it! As always, Bones and Disney aren't mine. I just like borrowing them. Don't forget to review!_

* * *

A quiet stillness filled the spacious office as the room's only occupant rested on her couch, silently filling out paperwork. Dr. Temperance Brennan made a few more notes into the file resting on her lap and stood, gathering that file and the sizeable pile on the coffee table in front of her into her arms. She strode over to her desk, pressing the button on her desktop computer's monitor as she settled into her seat. A small grin graced her face as she set the paperwork down in front of three translucent blue ghosts, figurines that her boyfriend had insisted upon buying for her office during their trip to Disney World the year before. She opened a file and began typing up her report when a young voice filled the darkened hallway.

"Bones?" Parker Booth called.

Brennan spun her chair around so it was facing the open doorway. "Down here!" she called. The movement in the hallway seemed to stop.

"Bones? Where?" Parker called.

"It's the only room with a light!" she called.

Her ears filled with the sounds of footsteps rapidly speeding up until the nine-year-old blonde finally appeared in the doorway and paused. "You're back!" he exclaimed, running towards her for a hug. "I miss your glass walls."

Brennan chuckled. "I do, too, sometimes," she admitted.

Seeley Booth entered the room to find his son and his girlfriend locked in a sweet embrace. "Hey, honey," he said.

"Hey," she smiled. She pulled away from Parker and looked him in the eye. "Parker, I've been back for a week now."

"I didn't see you last week," he said.

"I suppose that's correct," she conceded. She looked him up and down. "You seem to have grown an exceptional amount in the month since I last saw you."

"Dad says I hit a growth spurt," Parker said.

"I would be inclined to agree," Brennan said. "You're going to be as tall as me soon."

"When are you going to go back to your old office? It was cooler," the boy said, walking around the room. "I've never been to this part of the Jeffersonian before."

"A couple more months," she said.

"Alright, Bones, pack it up," Booth said.

"What? No, I still have to write this report," she said, pointing to her computer screen.

"We need to go," he said.

"You were not supposed to come get me for another hour and a half," she said.

"Well, someone just couldn't wait any longer," he said, gesturing to Parker.

"Why do we have to go right now?" she asked.

"Because we're going to Disney World!" Parker cheered.

"Which is exactly why I need to finish this report before I take the whole weekend plus four days off," she said.

"Dad checked the ride list, and I'm tall enough to ride everything!" Parker said. "Except I can't drive a racecar by myself."

"You can drive me," Brennan promised, referring to the Speedway ride in Magic Kingdom. Parker grinned.

"Okay!" He picked up a small figurine from one of her shelves. This one was a small Mickey figurine, painted to look like a skeleton in a Jeffersonian lab coat. He held it up so Brennan could see. "Is there a Skeleton Mickey at Disney?"

"Oh, no, Parker. Angela painted that. She made a Mickey for everyone who took part in last year's Disney ca…" Brennan started. Just before said finished with the word 'case,' she noticed Booth wildly shaking his head no. "Vacation," she finished. Booth nodded his approval.

"How come you guys didn't take me last year?" Parker asked, a slight pout on his lips.

"It was kind of a last minute thing," Booth said. "But you know why we're going tomorrow, right?"

"Because you and Bones are celebrating your one-year anniversary," Parker said. He turned to Brennan. "But not _really_ because you've been in the Malooey Islands for, like, three months, so you haven't _really_ been together for a year."

"Maluku," Brennan corrected. "And my trips to Indonesia have no effect on how long it's been since your father and I became a couple. The Earth has almost made one full revolution around the sun since we got together, so it's still our anniversary."

Parker shrugged. "Dad said it. Not me."

A glimmer of hurt washed across Brennan's eyes as she glanced up at Booth. "He did?"

Booth quickly broke eye contact with her and glanced down at his shoes. Before either of them could say anything, Parker grabbed one of the hitchhiking ghost figurines from her desk.

"Is this from Disney, too?" Parker asked.

"There's a haunted house that says a ghost is going to follow you home," Brennan explained. "Your father insisted on taking that literally when we saw those in a gift shop."

"Are we going to ride that?" Parker asked.

"Of course. It's her favorite," Booth said. He turned to Brennan. "Is that report something you can do at home?"

"Yes," she said reluctantly.

"So grab your stuff, and let's go," he said. She shot him a skeptical look. "I won't bother you!" he promised.

"Yes, you will," she said.

"Ah, but you have packed, and I have not, and neither has Parker, so I have more than enough to keep me busy for a few hours," he said, gesturing to the luggage she had brought to work with her from her apartment that morning.

"Okay, but if I don't get this done tonight, I can't go," she threatened.

"You better leave her alone, Dad!" Parker exclaimed.

Booth grabbed the luggage she had packed for their Florida trip, while she gathered the things she needed for work. After everyone was ready, Brennan flipped off the lights and locked up her office, following the Booth boys to the parking garage.

When the offer to head the Maluku Islands excavation had presented itself, Brennan had been eager to accept. Everyone could see that she was longing for a change, that her heart just wasn't in solving murders anymore (or, as she feared, her heart was in it _too_ much.) Booth, however, had looked nothing short of crushed when she had suggested putting their new relationship on hold for a year while she traveled to Indonesia to discover the origins of humanity. Not wanting to risk ruining their newfound romance, she had asked to lead the home team in Washington instead of becoming a permanent fixture on the dig site.

Her new department worked out of a different section of the Jeffersonian, so she took a sabbatical from her position in the Medico-Legal Lab and moved to a different building to work on the newly recovered ancient remains. Booth had been no more thrilled about the temporary severing of their partnership than he had over the prospect of her leaving for a year, but he resigned himself to the fact that Brennan doing a different job in DC was better than Brennan doing a different job halfway around the world. Her position as Stateside Coordinator, however, did require some travel, especially to aid in the transportation of the recovered artifacts and remains. In the past year, she had spent a total of fourteen weeks in the Maluku Islands, divided among just three trips. Brennan had returned from her third trip to the dig site just six days ago.

Later that night, as Friday turned into Saturday, Brennan collapsed against Booth's chest, the sounds of their heavy breaths filling the air. He brushed her short hair away from her face as she pressed slow, open-mouthed kisses to his bare chest.

"Bones," he groaned, caressing up and down her back.

She lifted her head, attaching her lips to his, and locked the legs that currently rested at his sides firmly against him. She grabbed his shoulder and rolled to her side, coaxing his body to roll with her. Brennan wrapped her legs fully around his waist as she hit the mattress while the couple shared deep, languid kisses, his hands stroking her back and hips while her fingers twined into his hair. She slid her legs slowly down his to tangle them together and finally pulled away from their kisses with a blissful grin.

"I love you," she whispered.

He placed his hand against her cheek and gave her three more gentle kisses. "Love you, too, baby. That was some damn good anniversary sex."

She chuckled. "I completely concur about the quality of the sex, but it's not our anniversary yet."

"Unless we do it again tonight, it's all the sex we're going to have until we get back."

She looked alarmed. "Why?"

He laughed quietly. "Did you forget about the nine-year-old that's coming with us?"

"Hotels have showers," she said seriously.

"Bones!" he replied, his eyes widening just a little. "We cannot have shower sex one room away from Parker!"

"Why not? Parker's only one room away right now," she pointed out. They were speaking in hushed tones to keep him from waking up.

"It's different in a hotel, Bones. I'd be furious if Rebecca did that with some guy. Hell, she doesn't even want us sharing a bed on this trip," Booth revealed.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"She made me promise that I would sleep with Parker and give you your own bed," Booth said.

"Aren't you worried about Parker telling her we're not doing that?" Brennan asked, not even considering the possibility that Booth might comply with her wishes.

"No," Booth said.

"Well…why not?" she asked.

"Because we're going to bribe him with the toy of his choice from Downtown Disney tomorrow evening," he said.

She chuckled and looked at the time. "We should get to sleep. We have to leave in seven hours."

"Ugh, I know," he groaned. "But I'm not very sleepy."

"Me neither," she sighed, knowing the morning would be hard on both of them.

"Flip over," he whispered.

He turned the small TV by his bed on to a classic movie channel as she flipped onto her other side so she was facing away from him. He turned the volume down low and pulled her into his chest so they were spooning. Brennan rested her head against her bent arm and tangled their legs together again. Booth pulled the bed covers to only their hips and slung his arm loosely around her waist.

"I just realized that maybe we should've asked Angela and Hodgins to accompany us on this trip," Brennan said, referencing a conversation they had had when planning their return to Florida. Booth looked confused.

"What made you think of that now?" he asked.

"Because you just grabbed my hip and pulled me into your body, and I was thinking that if we had decided to bring Angela and Hodgins, then we could've left them with Parker and gone dancing…you know…like last year," she whispered, recalling the night they had spent hours grinding against one another on the starry-lit dance floor. Booth pulled her in a little bit tighter.

"If we had decided to bring them, I'm pretty sure Angela would expect you to take _her_ dancing and leave _me_ with Parker," Booth imagined.

Brennan grinned. "Your hypothesis is most likely correct."

With Brennan wrapped securely in Booth's arms, they settled in to watch the black and white movie, something they often did between making love and going to sleep when they spent the night at his place. Booth tenderly caressed her skin as they watched the movie. He drew circles onto her stomach with the palm of his hand for several minutes before trailing his hand up her side and down her outstretched arm. Their fingers laced together for a few moments as he pressed loving kisses to her shoulder blade.

"Booth," she sighed in pleasure, her voice growing heavy with sleep.

"Shhh…" he whispered.

He knew his gentle touch was soothing her to sleep, as it usually did, and he stroked up and down her arm several times before descending softly down her nude torso again. His caresses grew more intimate as she got closer to slipping into unconsciousness. Booth dipped under the covers to drag his fingers across her hip just once before he brought his hand up to softly rub her nipples and breasts. He was rewarded with a soft moan.

"_Ohhh_…" she sighed after a while. "Oh, that feels _really_ good."

"Good," he replied, cupping one of her breasts in his palm for a moment before dragging his thumb across the peak again.

"What happened to my pajamas?" she sleepily mumbled. "I should put them back on."

"You don't like pajamas, remember?" he teased, not wanting to stop touching her skin.

"And you don't like the thought of Parker seeing me naked, remember?" she said.

He groaned, removed his hand, and shook his head as he stood from the bed. Half-asleep and she could still outsmart him. He gathered their night clothes from around the room, unlocking the door on his way back to bed. She shimmied into her panties and t-shirt without getting up, while he replaced his boxers before crawling in behind her. He pulled the covers up to their chests and settled back into position behind her after one last kiss goodnight.

Just as they predicted, Parker ran into his father's bedroom just a few hours later. He flung the door open and thrust the light switch up, throwing the formerly dim and peaceful room into a harsh light.

"Oh!" Brennan moaned, scrunching up her face as the overhead lights came on. She covered her eyes with her hands and rolled, burying her face into Booth's chest.

"Parker!" Booth growled.

"We're going to _Disney World_! Let's go!" Parker exclaimed, running out of the room.

Brennan uncovered her eyes and stretched against the pillows before curling into Booth's side. "Just like you were last year," she smiled.

He grunted his agreement as he felt her warm lips brush briefly against his. "Was he already dressed?" Booth asked.

Brennan chuckled and crawled out of bed, swapping the unforgiving overhead lights for a few softer, more morning-friendly lamps. "Come on," she said. "You can sleep on the plane."

* * *

One uneventful flight into Tampa later, they piled into their silver rental car and headed away from the airport. When Booth turned onto the highway to St. Petersburg instead of the one to Orlando, Parker's eyes grew wide.

"I thought Disney was near Orlando," Parker said.

"It is," Booth said.

"Then you're going the wrong way!" Parker exclaimed with worry.

"We have one stop to make first," Brennan said somberly.

After a brief stop to buy a bouquet of flowers, Booth pulled into a St. Petersburg cemetery. He traveled a little ways along the winding road before stopping to let Brennan out.

"Five minutes," she promised as she got out of the car. Booth nodded.

"Why are we here?" Parker asked as she walked away. "Did one of her friends die?"

"Not exactly," Booth said. "It was…work stuff."

"Is that why you came to Florida last year? Did somebody die?" Parker asked.

"Yeah," Booth nodded.

As she approached Billie Bierle's grave, Brennan found a woman standing by the tombstone. It took her a moment, as she only met her once during the investigation, but she eventually recognized the woman as the victim's mother.

"Hello," Brennan said awkwardly. Anne Bierle turned to look at the new arrival.

"Dr. Brennan," she smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Agent Booth and I are taking his son to Orlando for Spring Break," she said. "Since I was going to be here, I wanted to pay my respects."

"You remember my daughter's case?" she asked, touched. Brennan leaned down to place the flowers on Billie's grave.

"I…remember all of the people I help," Brennan said honestly, not wanting to tell her that her daughter's case wasn't exactly one that would be easily forgotten by anyone involved.

"Thank you," Anne said, taking Brennan's hand as she stood. "The people you help…that's a nice way of looking at what you do. I've been coming here every day lately."

"That's understandable," Brennan said, softly placing her hand over Anne's for comfort.

Anne dropped Brennan's hand and focused her gaze back on her daughter's grave. "They finally set a date…for the trial."

Brennan nodded. "I know."

"You heard?" Anne asked.

"My team and I were notified once a date was set since we will be required to travel down here and testify," Brennan explained.

"Oh, of course," Anne nodded. She was silent for a few moments before she said, "Are you guys…good at that? Trials and things…I mean…you've never let any really big killers go, have you?"

"No," Brennan lied, thinking about her father. "My team is quite skilled in every aspect of our jobs."

"Good," Anne smiled.

"I need to go. Booth's waiting for me," Brennan said. "But we'll see you in June."

Anne nodded. "Thank you for coming, Dr. Brennan."

"Sure," Brennan smiled.

"Have a lovely trip," the woman said.

"Thank you," Brennan said.

Brennan climbed back into the front seat of the rental car and took a deep breath. Having witnessed the unexpected meeting, Booth reached over and grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together. She smiled at him, and he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Are you okay, Bones?" Parker asked after everyone in the car had remained silent for several seconds.

"Yeah," Brennan said, turning to give the younger Booth his own reassuring smile. "So are you ready for three and a half days of theme parks?"

"Yes!" Parker said gleefully.

Brennan fastened her seat belt back into place and nodded to Booth. He quickly checked his mirrors, fired up the ignition, and began the drive to Orlando.

* * *

_Just in case anyone wants to know - the Mickey figures I talked about Angela painting in the beginning of this chapter are Disney's new Vinylmation collection. You can buy all kinds of crazy painted Mickeys or design your own. It seemed like something Angela would be into._

_Thanks for reading! Now how about a review?_


	2. The Case of the Creepy Hotel Room

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for the reviews! Question: did those of you who have me on alert get a story alert when I posted the first chapter? Or did you get one for this chapter? I heard that some people didn't get them for the first, so I'm just kinda curious._

_As always, Bones & Disney aren't mine, and don't forget to review!_

* * *

After checking in and finding a place to park, Booth, Brennan, and Parker headed towards their room at the Caribbean Beach Hotel. Parker, who had taken one of the keys to the room, walked briskly ahead of the adults, carefully looking at the number on each of the doors. Brennan flipped through a brochure on the way to the room.

"Booth, this is listed as a moderate resort," she said. "I offered to pay for one of the nicer places."

"I know you did, but you also said I could choose, and with the beach and the themed pools and everything, I thought this might be more fun for Parker," Booth said.

"This trip is really more about him than us, isn't it?" she asked with a laugh.

"It's about us," he assured her. "The _three_ of us."

"Oh, _cool_!" Parker exclaimed as he opened the door to their room. He looked towards Booth and Brennan. "Hurry up! This is so cool!"

Booth and Brennan caught up to him and followed him into the room. Booth grinned, but Brennan froze in the doorway as she discovered that Booth had reserved one of the hotel's pirate rooms. Everything within the room was pirate-themed. The beds were shaped and decorated like pirate ships, complete with bedspreads featuring a treasure print. The table looked like a giant compass, the drawers looked like a treasure chest, the TV rested on four stacked crates, and the mini-fridge was hidden within a barrel. Even the carpet looked like the wooden planks of a pirate ship deck. To top it all off, a large, deep red curtain with the movie franchise's signature skull and crossbones separated the bedroom from the sink and vanity area.

"Which bed is mine?" Parker asked.

"The one by the bathroom," Booth said.

Parker climbed up into his pirate ship bed and, like a typical child, started jumping up and down. Booth laughed, shook his head, and dropped one of their bags on top of a barrel.

"There are people in the rooms below us, bub," Booth reminded him. "Get that out of your system now."

"Booth," Brennan said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" he casually replied.

"I'd like to speak with you for a moment," she said. He finally looked over and was surprised to find her still in the open doorway.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he joined her.

"What is this?" she asked. "Are all the rooms like this?"

"No; they're not all themed like this. Most are just normal rooms, but it's cool, huh? I thought Parker would love it," he said.

"Oh, so you _intentionally_ booked a room that looks like last year's crime scene." She said it as a statement, rather than a question.

He glanced around the room before looking back at her apprehensive expression. "That didn't even occur to me."

"Really? You're the one who's normally creeped out by things like this," she said, peering into the room again.

"You're creeped out?" he asked, grinning at the possibility of hearing her admit it.

"I'm fine," she said immediately. He shot her a dubious look. She matched it with a look of her own. "It's a little unsettling," she admitted.

"You're going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "A warning would've been nice, though."

"I sent you the confirmation e-mail," he said. She looked confused.

"When?" she asked.

"When I booked the room," he said.

"Well, when did you do that?" she asked. She had let Booth make most of their trip reservations on his own, with the request that she be kept informed of his decisions.

"Right after you left last time."

"I never got that e-mail," she said.

"Or you don't remember it," he said, positive he had sent it to her.

"I guess it was just a communication error on our parts," she compromised, wanting to avoid a bigger argument.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when I have a relationship with your e-mail account," Booth said roughly, heading back into the room. Brennan, surprised by his response, stood in the doorway for a few more moments before quietly following him into the room.

* * *

After dropping off their luggage, they piled back into the car and headed to Downtown Disney, choosing not to rely on the buses for transportation. They parked in the Marketplace section of the shopping village after spending nearly twenty minutes looking for an open space and headed for the Once Upon a Toy Store. Parker glanced down the hallway of the five room store and looked at Booth.

"What's my limit?" Parker asked.

"How about fifty dollars?" Booth replied.

"You can get whatever you want, Parker," Brennan said.

"Bones," Booth muttered.

"Really?" Parker asked with excitement.

"Do you want to bribe him or not?" Brennan muttered back to Booth.

"You're bribing me?" Parker asked with interest. "Why?"

"You have very good hearing," Brennan remarked.

"Mom tells me that a lot, too," Parker said proudly.

"You can pick one thing, but you can pick whatever you want," Booth compromised. He looked between Brennan and Parker. "Fair?"

"Sure," Parker agreed as Brennan nodded.

"You have to let me pay for _something_ during the next few days," Booth told Brennan.

"We'll see," she grinned.

They started looking around the store, Parker picking up a few things here and there to better check them out. When they reached the room filled with toys targeted to young boys, however, it took him three seconds to decide what he wanted.

"That," Parker said, pointing to a large build-your-own-lightsaber display.

"Are you sure? We've only walked through half the store," Brennan said.

"That," Parker repeated.

Brennan stood to the side of the work station and grinned while Booth and Parker built the Jedi Lightsaber to his specifications. Booth explained the terms of the bribe to his son as they worked and held the toy in his hands once they finished.

"Just so we're clear, if I buy you this, what are you going to tell your mom if she asks about the hotel?" Booth asked.

"You have to buy it for me. We already built it," Parker said.

"We can take it apart," Booth said.

"If you don't buy it for me, Bones will," Parker threatened.

"What will you say?" Booth asked.

"That it was terrible, and I hardly got any sleep at all because while Bones got to sleep in the big bed all by herself, I had to deal with you hogging our bed and stealing the covers all night," Parker said. Booth's eyes widened at the unexpected creativity of his answer, and Brennan let out a low chuckle.

"You do hog the bed," she said.

"No, I don't," Booth protested. "Well…maybe that one time in the bed and breakfast with the small bed, but that bed just wasn't big enough for us."

"That time definitely, but…all the time," Brennan said.

"Well, I don't steal the covers," he said. "That's _your_ problem."

"I won't argue with that," she said. "You're correct."

"Can we go buy this please?" Parker asked as he snatched the toy from Booth's hands, getting the adults back on topic. Booth pulled out his wallet and headed for the cash register.

They wandered down to the twelve-room World of Disney super store next. Booth was in the Men's room looking at shirts and hats while Brennan and Parker had moved on to the Boys' room. She stood near the center of the room, watching children build their own treasure chests while Parker looked around.

"Bones," Parker said, walking up to her with something hidden behind his back.

"What are you hiding back there?" she asked.

"Can I have this?" he asked.

Parker pulled a deluxe pirate kit from behind his back. The kit came with a pirate hat, an eye patch, a telescope, gold coins, a small stuffed parrot, a hook to fit over his hand like Captain Hook's, and, of course, a sword.

"What would your dad say if you asked him?" Brennan asked. Parker shrugged.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you," Parker said with a smile. "_You_ said I could have anything I wanted."

"And you chose the light-up weapon," she reminded him.

"But _Dad_ bought that," Parker argued. "Please? It matches the hotel room. I need it."

Brennan had barely gotten out her okay before Parker started running towards the cash register. Booth caught up to them just as she was signing her name on the credit card slip.

They ate dinner in the T-Rex Café, a restaurant that could best be described as a dinosaur version of the Rainforest Café. They were seated near a plastic tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the Glacier Room, a room designed and chilled to look like the interior of a carved-out glacier. After eating and taking a picture of Parker with nearly every large dinosaur in the place, Parker announced that he was ready to go swimming at the hotel.

They decided to walk through some of the stores on the way back to the car. In the last one, they came across a room that allowed guests to make their own mouse ear hats. No surprise to anyone, Parker promptly declared the custom-made ears as a must-have. Brennan quickly agreed.

"Bones," Booth said. "We've only been here a few hours, we haven't even stepped into a theme park yet, and you are about to buy him his _third_ thing."

"We may never do this again," Brennan said.

"What if we make this a thing and do it every year?" he suggested.

"Then I won't buy him as much next year," she instantly replied.

Parker was halfway through snapping yellow ears with Mickey's face printed on them onto a tie-dye hat base, so Booth knew there was no stopping him now. Parker looked up after attaching one ear and said, "You guys need ears, too."

"Oh, no…we don't," Booth said.

"Yes, you do! Look," he said, pulling one of the mass-produced ready-made hats off the rack. "Bones could get this one because it's her favorite."

Parker had handed her a teal and black striped Haunted Mansion hat. It had bright blue ears and a chain looped around the bronze emblem on the front to resemble the mansion's gate. Deciding to humor the boy, she placed it on her head.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Get it!" Parker said.

"Beautiful," Booth smiled, noticing the way the colors on the hat brought out her eyes.

She pulled the hat off and noticed the back featured patches of the ride's hitchhiking ghosts. She laughed. "Are you going to make us wear these in the parks all day?"

"Ah-huh!" Parker proudly answered, picking out patches for his own hat.

After Booth reluctantly made a hat out of a blue base and firework-printed ears, they went to the cash register to check out. When the cashier asked if they wanted their names embroidered on the back, Parker and Booth eagerly gave their names.

"And on this one?" the cashier asked, picking up Brennan's hat.

"Brennan," she said.

"Bones," Booth immediately corrected. Parker nodded in encouragement.

She smiled and said, "Bones."

* * *

Back at the hotel, Brennan decided to forgo swimming in favor of some time alone. After a quick shower, during which she discovered that even the shower curtain and the shower wall itself were decorated with images of pirate ships and skeletons, she dressed in comfortable pajamas and peered out the window. Their room featured a view of the Spanish-fortress-themed pool, and she had pulled back the curtains just in time to see Booth shooting out of the water slide. Satisfied with the peek she had gotten of her boys, she fired up her laptop. As she had hoped, Angela was online, so she sent her a request for a video chat.

"_Oh my god_," Angela said once Brennan had finished showing her the room. "How are you going to sleep in there?"

"I don't know," Brennan laughed as she set the laptop down on the compass table and curled into a chair.

"Oh, I'd feel like I was going to sleep in that girl's deathbed!" Angela said. Brennan instantly got an uneasy look on her face, and Angela added, "Sorry. At least you'll have Booth to cuddle up with. That'll make it better."

"He's why I'm calling, actually," Brennan sighed.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked.

"Is he different during the months I'm in the Maluku Islands? I mean does…does he talk about it or seem angry with me?" Brennan asked.

"No, not really," Angela said. "He'll ask if I've heard from you if it's been a while since he's gotten an e-mail, but I wouldn't say he seems angry with you. He just acts like he misses you. Why? What's going on?"

"He's said a few things…things like our relationship is between him and my e-mail account, and our anniversary can't be counted because I've been gone so much," Brennan said. Her voice lowered as she added, "Things like that."

"He's saying _what_?" Angela asked. "How long has he been acting like a jerk?"

"Since a few days after I got home," she said. "I don't think he's _trying_ to be a jerk, but I'm surprised."

"Well you guys talk about you going away, right?" Angela asked. "I mean, he knew it was coming?"

"We haven't really talked about it," Brennan said. "He doesn't seem to want to talk about it, and I wasn't aware of the extent of the travel the position would require until after I accepted. I knew I'd be going to Indonesia at some point, but I didn't know I'd be gone for fourteen weeks until the excavation progressed."

"Would that have stopped you from taking the job?" Angela asked knowingly.

"No," Brennan admitted. "I believe this job has been very good for me."

"I would agree with you there, sweetie," Angela said. "I think it's a combination of both the job and Booth, but you've seemed really happy lately."

"Oh, I concur. I think he's good for me as well, and I value our relationship very much, but these snide remarks…" Brennan said. "What do I do?"

"Make sure he knows you miss him, too. You do get pretty enthusiastic about your trips. Maybe he feels like the hurt and frustration of being separated is all one-sided," she suggested.

Brennan nodded. "I can do that."

"Good. He's probably just a little insecure," Angela said. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Show me the room again."

Later that night, Booth crept past a sleeping Parker and flipped off the last light in the room before crawling in bed next to Brennan. She laughed as they settled under the covers.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I'm thirty-four years old, and I'm sleeping in a pirate ship bed," she laughed. "I feel absolutely ridiculous."

"Yeah, well, I'm thirty-nine years old and sleeping in a pirate ship bed. Inner child, baby," he said. "Embrace it."

They were each lying on their backs, just a few inches apart. She rolled onto her side after a few moments and lightly tapped his arm. He rolled over, too, facing her.

"Hey," she whispered. "I want to tell you something."

"What's on your mind, Bones?" he whispered.

"I…I miss you when I'm gone. When I'm alone in the Maluku Islands, I really miss you," she confessed. "I very much enjoy the work that I do there, but I dislike not hearing your voice for a month or…or not being able to hug you for a month. I just want to be certain that you're aware of my feelings on the subject because I'm not sure you know."

He leaned over and placed a soft, silent kiss on her mouth. "I know you miss me, but that was nice to hear."

"So we're okay?" she asked.

"We're good," he said, brushing a piece of hair away from her face. "Hey, we made it through three months apart. We're going to be okay."

"Right," she smiled. "Just one more trip, and then it's over."

"Wait…what?" he said, pulling away slightly. "Another trip?"

"The project's not over yet," she said. "I have to help conclude the excavation and oversee the transportation of the remaining artifacts."

"How long is that going to take?" he asked.

"Approximately seventeen to nineteen days," she said.

"Three weeks?" he groaned. "When?"

"May," she said.

"So we won't really be together our second year, either. Great," he scoffed. He slightly shook his head in disbelief and rolled over to his other side so he was facing away from Brennan.

"It's just seventeen to nineteen days, Booth. That's only five percent of the entire year," Brennan said. "And then that's it. It's over. You're overreacting."

She watched his back for a few moments, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, she, too, curled up in the opposite direction, holding back tears as she feared she had just made their situation so much worse. After about five minutes, he rolled back over and slung his arm across her middle, tilting his head down to rest it on the back of her shoulder. Brennan said nothing, and neither did he. She just settled into his arms and let him hold her as she fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

_I thought I'd provide some pictures so you guys can see what I was looking at when I wrote this, rather than try and look it up yourselves. This website won't let me put links here, so if you choose to take a look, just remove the spaces from these addresses:_

_Brennan's Haunted Mansion hat: _**tinyurl. com /34tj2yc **_(see more photos by clicking on the "more views" button)_

_Hotel Room: _**tinyurl. com /bxxwtg**_ (click the "Rooms" tab on the main photo to select the pictures of the pirate-themed rooms)_

_T-Rex Café's Glacier Room: _**tinyurl. com /36n2lrk**

_I checked the links, so they should work. Thanks for reading! Review? Please?_


	3. One Thing After Another

_Hi everyone! Florida has decided to do nothing but rain this week, which means you guys get lucky and get two new chapters this week! Thanks so much for all the reviews on Chapter 2. I've gotta say, I was surprised at how angry some of you were at Booth after that last part!_

_There are a few flashbacks in this chapter, and those will be in italics. I think it's pretty easy to follow, but please let me know if you get confused. Also, if you didn't read the first story, you might want to pop on over there and skim the end of the story. You'll probably be fine without doing that, but one of the flashbacks starts shortly after the first story ended. _

_As always, Bones and Disney aren't mine, and please review! Enjoy!_

* * *

Brennan woke early the next morning to hushed laughter and the sounds of plastic clanging together. She rolled over to find father and son in the middle of a sword fight. Still dressed in pajamas, Booth swung Parker's new lightsaber, while Parker, who had added the pirate hat and eye patch to his ensemble, fought with the sword from the pirate kit. Booth, whose back was facing Brennan, gently jabbed Parker, who was standing on his bed, in the side, and the boy dramatically but quietly flopped onto the mattress as if he'd been injured.

"Victory!" Booth whispered, thrusting the lightsaber into the air.

Parker opened his eyes and noticed that they had an audience. "Hi, Bones," he giggled.

"Oh, very funny," Booth said. "You don't want to admit I won."

"Dad, she's really awake," Parker said, pointing at her.

Booth turned, a guilty look on his face. "Did we wake you?"

"I'm not sure," Brennan said honestly.

"Can we use the sound now?" Parker asked with excitement.

He pressed a button on the sword that caused the toy to mimic the sounds of metal clashing together when he swung. Booth turned the sound on his toy on as well, and father and son started dueling again. The sounds were louder than Brennan expected, and, having not fully adjusted to being awake yet, she sunk down into her pillow to muffle the noise.

"Hey, Parker," Booth said, switching his sound off once he noticed Brennan's discomfort with the noise. "Let's use the sound another time, okay?"

"Okay," Parker agreed. "Can we go to Epcot now?"

"It doesn't open until nine," Brennan said, glancing at a clock that read 7:45 AM.

"But why don't you go get ready so we can grab some breakfast first?" Booth said.

"Okay," Parker said. He hopped off his pirate ship, grabbed some clothes, and headed behind the big red curtain to get ready.

Brennan started to get up as well, but Booth stopped her. She lay back down on top of the sheets, and he sat down at the foot of the bed, facing her. She wore a black tank top, blue and green striped pajama shorts, and a pair of the colorful, mismatched socks Booth had bought her the year before. He set the lightsaber to the side, and curled his hands around her feet.

"You were right," he said softly.

"About what?" she asked curtly, still upset with him from the night before.

"I overreacted. I'm sorry," he said. "You just got back and thinking about you leaving again…I shouldn't have said what I said."

"I could've gone for the entire year, you know," she reminded him. "That was a fantastic opportunity for me."

"I know," he said. "I know. I'm sorry. You were being all mushy, and instead of appreciating that, I yelled at you, and I shouldn't have done that."

"You didn't yell," she said.

"I might've if Parker hadn't been sleeping right next to us," he admitted.

"I wasn't being mushy," she said.

"You were being sweet," he said, still speaking to her in a soft voice.

"I wasn't trying to be anything. I was just trying to let you know that I miss you, too."

"I know," he said again. "I'm just so _tired_ of missing you."

She nodded. "It's almost over."

He grabbed her right ankle and raised her leg slightly. He placed his lips just above the edge of her sock and started kissing along the inside of her leg, creeping higher with every kiss.

"I love you," he said when he reached her knee. His lips moved up to caress her inner thigh, and he repeated, "I love you."

She allowed herself to smile slightly, deciding to accept his apology. "You know your son is just right behind that curtain," she said as his lips teased around the lower hem of her short pajama shorts.

"I know," he said, crawling up her body to lie beside her. He rested his hand on her stomach. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said faintly.

"So I can kiss you?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

She remained resting against her pillow, making him do all the work in meeting her lips. He chuckled when he realized she had no intention of moving even an inch.

"Making me do all the work, huh?" he asked.

"You were mean to me," she said.

"So I deserve it," he mumbled, nearing her lips.

"Exactly," she murmured.

His lips brushed against hers before capturing them in a tender kiss. He slid his hand up her torso to lovingly stroke her cheek. She gripped his wrist, holding his hand still against her face and leaned in to his kiss. They separated at the sound of the curtain being wrenched open.

"Why am I the only one getting ready?" Parker asked.

Booth and Brennan glanced at Parker, then looked back at each other. They shared one more kiss before abandoning ship to get ready for the day.

* * *

Upon entering Epcot, Booth immediately ran and secured three fast passes for _Soarin_', a hang gliding simulator that could be called the most popular ride in the park. They had overheard a family in the bag check line discussing how getting a fast pass early was almost necessary for riding that ride, so Booth had decided to steal their trick. He met back up with Brennan and Parker by Spaceship Earth, the iconic geodesic sphere at the front of the park.

"Well, that proved to be a worthwhile tip," Booth said as they got in line for the ride within Spaceship Earth.

"Why? When are they for?" Brennan asked.

"11:40 to 12:40," he said. The park had only been open for about twenty minutes, and fast passes, which lasted an hour before they expired, were given out in five-minute intervals.

"You're kidding," Brennan said.

"Nope," Booth said, handing them to her. "Standby was already up to 45 minutes, too."

Spaceship Earth was a slow ride, so the line wasn't too long. Each car had two rows of seats, so Parker hopped in the front by himself, as per his request, while Booth and Brennan took the back. Booth held her hand as they rode through scenes depicting the history of technology and communication. When they reached the top of the sphere, the car swung around, giving the passengers a gorgeous view of what Earth would look like from space. The car moved along for a little bit before coming to a screeching halt.

"What happened?" Parker cried as a voice over the loudspeaker told everyone to remain seated. Parker turned around to look at Booth and Brennan.

"Oh, don't worry," the man in the car next to them said. "This happens every time. It'll be going again soon."

"Yeah," the woman said. "It's not really Epcot until you get stuck on Spaceship Earth!"

Parker turned to Booth and Brennan, who were grinning at each other, again. "Did you guys get stuck last year?"

_Booth and Brennan rode through the darkened Earth room in silence, his arm slung around her shoulders. They were alone in the car, with no one in the backseat. The car swung around so they were traveling backwards (for their "descent back to Earth," the speaker in their seat told them.) They were just about halfway through the room designed to look like they were traveling through the stars when their car came to a stop._

_"What happened?" Booth asked. They guy on the loudspeaker told everyone to remain seated. Brennan shrugged._

_"I guess we're stuck," she said._

_"Not a bad place to be stuck," Booth said. "Isn't this pretty?"_

_"The design is aesthetically pleasing," Brennan said._

_"We're in the middle of the stars, Bones," he said._

_"They're just lights, Booth!" she laughed. "We weren't really looking down at Earth in the last room, either."_

_"Oh, come on, Bones, use your imagination," he said. "Here…imagine we're at home, lying on a blanket in the Jeffersonian gardens…"_

_"Then we'd be looking up at the stars, not surrounded by them," she interrupted. He shot her a look. She conceded. "I'm listening."_

_"We're curled up together, like this," he said, gripping her shoulder tighter. "We're just admiring the stars. Then I look at you, and you catch me staring, and then…"_

_He kissed her. She immediately responded, curling her hand around his cheek. They only decided to be a couple the evening before, so their kisses were hot and needy, filled with passion and desire. She pulled away but kept her eyes shut and her lips close to his._

_"Can we really do that one night after we get home?" she whispered._

_"Whatever you want, Bones," he replied, leaning in for another kiss._

"Yeah," Booth said as Brennan lightly laughed beside him. "We got stuck, too."

Once they finally got off Spaceship Earth, they walked over to the west side of Future World. They started with the ride in the Imagination Pavilion, another slower ride that featured a catchy song and a purple dragon named Figment. After that, they headed over to the aquarium building for the _Finding Nemo_ ride.

"Is it time for _Soarin'_ yet?" Parker asked as they stepped out of the car shaped like a giant pink clam.

"Not yet," Booth said. "But let's look around here first."

The ride emptied into a two-story aquarium, so they took some time to walk around and look at all the fish. When they were finished, they headed through the gift shop for the exit. The doors slid open, and they were greeted with the sight of rain pouring down over the park. Parker started to walk outside anyway, but Booth held him back as a clap of thunder sounded and Brennan worked on pulling up a radar on her phone.

"Whoa," Booth said as he grabbed Parker. "I don't think so, kid. Not in this storm."

"We'll miss the ride!" Parker cried.

"It's not even 11 yet," Booth said. "We're fine."

After Brennan determined that the storm, as Florida storms often do, would probably blow over in twenty or thirty minutes, they hung back while Parker ran around the shark-themed play area for kids. Booth took Parker to the bathroom a little while later. They walked out to find Brennan staring into the dolphin tank.

"Still raining?" Booth asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Parker decided he wants to see the turtle show since we're stuck here," Booth said. "Do you want to come?"

"Would you mind if I stayed here?" she asked as a dolphin swam by the window. Booth wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Thinking about your mom?" he asked quietly so only she would hear.

"Yeah," she said, matching his tone.

"We'll come get you later," he promised, kissing her cheek before he walked away.

After utilizing their fast passes, eating lunch, and getting pictures of Parker with Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto, they walked to the east side of Future World to do the attractions there. In true Disney tradition, most of these rides emptied into gift shops. By the time they finished with that section of the theme park, Parker was the proud owner of an astronaut Mickey plush and a remote-controlled car from Test Track.

"Bones," Booth groaned as they walked out of the Test Track building with a package.

"What?" she smiled, fully aware of what he was about to say.

"You're not doing a great job of reinforcing the 'you-don't-always-get-what-you-want' lesson Rebecca and I are trying to teach Parker," Booth said.

"I don't think that lesson should apply on vacation," Brennan said. She was enjoying buying him things and watching his face light up with happiness and excitement. "Besides, he's a very gracious and respectful child. He always says thank you to me. You should be proud."

"Rebecca's going to kill me when he walks in with all this crap," Booth said.

"It's not crap if it makes him happy," Brennan said. "I'll take full responsibility."

Parker, who had been walking in front of them, turned around and handed the store bag to Booth. "Dad, will you carry this for me? It's heavy."

Booth took the bag and looked at Brennan. "This is the other reason why your 'buy-him-everything-he-wants' plan kind of sucks for me," he said.

Brennan snatched the bag from Booth's hands. "See? Everyone's happy."

* * *

Evening was rapidly approaching before they ever made it back to the World Showcase part of Epcot. They started in Canada, stopping to watch the short film, before strolling through a few shops in the United Kingdom while a Beatles tribute band played outside. When they were halfway across the bridge connecting the UK to the France Pavilion, Booth noticed that Parker was walking a good two feet behind them.

"Parker!" Booth called. He dropped Brennan's hand and walked back to his son. "You need to stay with us."

"What happened to the rides?" Parker asked sadly.

"We've already done most of them," Brennan said as she joined them. "This part of the park isn't really like that."

"So there's nothing to do back here but _look_?" he asked incredulously.

"There's a few more movies," Booth said.

Parker looked entirely dismayed by that prospect and said, "I want to go back to the rides."

"Parker…" Booth started.

"This is boring!" Parker said.

Booth was about to protest again when Brennan grabbed Booth's arm and said, "Let's take him back to the rides, Booth."

"You like this part," Booth said. "He hasn't even really given it a shot."

"Yes, I like this part, but I've been to most of these places for real, so I can skip it," she said. "We expected this."

"Yeah, I guess we did," Booth remembered.

"So let's go," she said.

They went back to the rides in Future World until it was time for their dinner reservations in Italy's new pizzeria restaurant. Parker was much happier about going back to the countries when he heard pizza would be involved this time.

"All this international cuisine, and you choose pizza," Brennan lamented, having just learned of the reservation that morning.

"Nine-year-old, Bones," Booth reminded her, pointing at the boy sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I like pizza!" Parker said, dunking a breadstick into marinara sauce.

"Right," she nodded, picking up a slice.

They left Italy's pizzeria and rode the boat rides in Mexico and Norway before staking out a spot in the Showcase Plaza to watch the IllumiNations night show that took place in the middle of the lagoon.

"Are these fireworks good?" Parker asked.

"I don't know," Booth said.

Booth was sitting on the ground, Brennan resting between his legs. She was leaned back onto his chest, and he had wrapped his arms around her, their hands curled together against her middle. The sun had never really reappeared after the late morning storm, and now that it was getting dark, and now that they were sitting by water, a cool breeze traveled over their skin. Parker stood beside them, looking out over the lagoon as the countries began to light up.

"Are they different from last year?" Parker asked.

"I don't know," Brennan answered.

"You didn't see them last year?" Parker asked.

"No," Booth and Brennan said together.

"Not at this park," Booth added.

"Why not?" Parker asked. "What were you doing?"

_Newly-coupled Booth and Brennan walked out of the Moroccan restaurant after a leisurely dinner, and he pulled out a map._

_"What now?" he asked her. "There's a fireworks show at nine."_

_"I think I've reached my quota for fireworks on this trip," Brennan said. "Let's just go back to the hotel. We still have paperwork to do."_

_"You want to do paperwork now?" he asked._

_"It has to be done soon, and if we complete it tonight, we can be case-free for the rest of our time here," she pointed out._

_"Oh, I like that," he said. "Okay, let's go."_

_They worked on paperwork on the little table in their hotel room for several hours, finishing it all, and putting an end to the Magic Kingdom case. Brennan placed the case files into the in-room safe before she hopped in the shower, put her pajamas on, and crawled into bed. Booth took his shower, too, and then surprised her by getting in to her bed after he dressed. _

_"Oh," she said as he climbed under the covers next to her._

_"I'm sorry," he said. "Is this okay?"_

_She smiled. "Yeah, it's okay."_

_He leaned over her body and started kissing her softly. She lost herself in a few long kisses before she gently pushed him away._

_"I think I'm too tired," she whispered._

_"For kissing?" he asked._

_"For sex," she said. "I think my fatigue will prohibit me from performing to my potential."_

_Booth fought back a laugh in favor of a look of exaggerated offense and said, "Was I _trying_ to do anything? I wasn't planning on doing anything but kissing you."_

_Brennan laughed, then realized he was serious. "Wait…really?"_

_"I kind of thought we'd wait until we got home. There's nothing wrong with the hotel. It's just…" he said, trailing off._

_"It's not home," Brennan finished. "I understand. I agree."_

_"Are you too tired for kissing?" he teased._

_"No," she said with a sly grin._

_They filled their night with lazy, romantic kisses under the sheets before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms._

"Work stuff," Booth said, answering Parker's question. That answer seemed to satisfy Parker, so he turned back to the water.

Brennan turned her head and leaned up to his ear so only he would hear what she was about to say. She whispered, "We didn't wait until we got home," knowing they were thinking of the same evening.

"No, we didn't," Booth chuckled, gently pulling the elastic band holding her ponytail together out of her hair. "What'd we last? Three days?"

"Something like that," she whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

Their lips met in a loving kiss. They made sure to keep their kissing at a PG-level due to their very public location, even though both were thinking of the nearly day and a half they had spent doing nothing but eating room service, napping, and making love all over their room in the Grand Floridian hotel. They kissed until the lights went out, signaling the beginning of the show, and, when the music started playing, she snuggled further into his arms to watch the fireworks.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! How about a review?_


	4. Just a Joke

_Hi guys! I meant to have this up last week, but school is already kicking my ass. And then I meant to have it up way earlier this evening, but today was just awful. On the plus side, I got a job with Disney! They're opening a new Disney store near my school, and I found out last week that I get to work there! I'm so excited!_

_As always, Bones + Disney = Not Mine. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!_

* * *

"Dad, look!" Parker called the next morning as they stepped onto Magic Kingdom's Main Street. "The castle's just _right there_!"

"Yeah, I see it," Booth said. "Do you want to go meet Mickey?"

"Yeah!" Parker nodded. He gestured to their mouse ear hats. "We match today."

The adults had talked Parker out of wearing their mouse ear hats at Epcot the day before, but the boy had insisted upon everyone wearing them today. Mickey had been relocated to Main Street due to the ongoing construction in Toontown and Fantasyland, so they decided to make the mouse their first stop. They joined the line, and Brennan dropped Booth's hand.

"I'll be right back," she smiled.

"Where are you going?" Booth asked.

"I'll be right back," she repeated.

"I want you in this picture, too!" he called as she walked away.

Brennan was only gone for a few minutes before she returned with three of Disney's signature buttons. The one she handed to Parker was yellow and featured all the main Disney characters. It read "First Visit." She had grabbed red Anniversary buttons with Mickey and Minnie on them for herself and Booth.

"You're excited," Booth realized as everyone pinned their button to their shirt.

"I am," she said. "I've never had an anniversary before."

Booth smiled, reached for her waist, and pulled her into an embrace. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth. Before she could respond, they each felt a small hand pushing against their back.

"The line is moving," Parker said. "Stop it and move."

"Yes, Master," Booth joked.

Booth kept his arm around Brennan's waist as they inched up in the line, only moving a few feet. She curled against him again once they had stopped.

"I can't believe we've already spent twelve months together," Brennan whispered, lightly nibbling on his earlobe as she pulled back.

"Yeah, I know," he said with a wide grin and a teasing tone. "Sometimes a year just feels like…nine months." Not amused, Brennan unraveled herself from Booth's embrace and crossed her arms over her chest. Upon seeing her reaction, he quickly said, "I was kidding! I thought you'd know I was kidding."

"I was able to ascertain that you were being facetious, yes," Brennan said. "The timbre of your voice and the childish expression on your face provided enough evidence for me to reach that conclusion."

Booth cringed as she slipped into clinical scientist mode, something she often did when she was angry with him. "It was just a joke."

"I know," she said. "It just wasn't very funny."

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt as their turn to see Mickey and Minnie arrived. The characters noticed Booth and Brennan's anniversary buttons and pushed their costumed mouths together in a kiss, indicating that Booth and Brennan should do the same.

Brennan, suddenly more annoyed at the buttons than excited by them, glanced up at him. Knowing she probably didn't want to kiss him right now, Booth slipped his hand behind her and drew small circles on the small of Brennan's back.

"I love you so much, baby," he whispered.

Brennan knew he was being sincere, so she nodded and met his lips for a brief kiss, causing the mice to clap their hands with glee before turning their attention to Parker. That served to lighten the mood, as Brennan laughed at the characters' enthusiasm and clasped Booth's hand in hers again.

"Alright, where to first?" Booth asked as they walked away from the character greeting.

"To infinity and beyond!" Parker cried.

Brennan's face lit up. "I know what that means! He's quoting _Toy Story_."

Booth grinned, remembering all the weekends he and Parker had spent catching Brennan up on her Disney films. "Very good, Bones."

"I don't, however, know what he means in the context of your question," she added.

"The Buzz Lightyear ride," Parker said. "You get to shoot aliens with lasers! Let's go!"

They walked back to Tomorrowland and got in line for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Booth pulled out his map as they joined the line.

"How did we miss this last year?" he asked Brennan.

"You didn't go on it?" Parker asked.

"No. We must have overlooked it. So this is a shooting game?" Brennan asked. Parker nodded. Brennan looked at Booth. "I am going to knock you dead."

"Yeah, right," Booth scoffed.

"You don't think I could beat your score? I'm a good shot," she said.

"It's a _shooting_ game. I was a _sniper_. I'd _love_ to see you try," he said.

"Alright, then," Brennan said, accepting the challenge.

They made their way up to the loading station, and Booth noticed there were only two guns per vehicle. Parker quickly insisted upon riding by himself, so Booth told him to take the car in front of him and Brennan. They rode into the first room, and their scores popped up as zero, signaling the beginning of the game. Booth used the joystick to turn the car towards the area with the most targets. He and Brennan both began trying to line up shots and hit the targets, as if they were shooting real guns. Neither was doing very well. Brennan glanced up at Parker.

"Booth, look," Brennan said. "He's cheating."

Booth glanced up at his son as well and discovered the real reason Parker had asked to ride alone. He sat in the middle of the bench, a hand on each gun, shooting randomly and racking up points. Parker spun his car around and waved at Booth and Brennan as he passed.

"His exceptional scores are completely nonsensical," Brennan said. "He doesn't even appear to be trying."

"Maybe that's the key to this stupid game," Booth said, frustrated at his low score.

The adults decided to take Parker's lead and stop trying to line up precise shots. The ride ended with Booth sulking because Brennan had hit a high-scoring target at the last minute and finished 118,400 points ahead of Booth.

"I told you," she said. "I'm a good shot."

"That was sheer luck," Booth said.

"I surmise that you would not be saying that had you been the one who succeeded."

"Okay, fine," Booth said. "Rematch. Let's go."

"No," Parker said. "Space Mountain!"

Space Mountain, unlike most roller coasters, had six single seats per rocket train. When the cast member assigned them to seats one through three, Parker immediately claimed the front, while Brennan took the middle, and Booth sat in the back. When the ride was over, they headed up the moving walkway that would take them back outside.

"First big roller coaster," Booth said, touching Parker's head. "What'd you think?"

"It was really fun," Parker said. "I think Bones was scared, though."

"I wasn't scared," Brennan protested.

"Why do you say that, Parker?" Booth asked.

"She screamed a lot!" Parker announced.

"She did?" Booth asked, amused.

"Ah-huh," Parker said. "She was sitting right behind me, so I heard her."

"Well, that's odd," Booth said. "She's not usually a screamer."

Booth winked at Brennan as he finished speaking, a wicked grin on his face. Brennan's mouth dropped open slightly at the unexpected innuendo, and she grabbed his arm forcefully.

"That was extremely inappropriate," she said quietly through gritted teeth and a smile.

"Why were you screaming?" he asked in a taunting tone.

"I'm unsure if the near total darkness or the disorientation caused by the initial strobe lights is the cause, but I've found that I don't always feel very secure on that attraction."

"Ooh, another gift shop," Parker said as he reached the top of the walkway first.

"Oh no," Booth groaned.

Booth tried to hurry his son and his girlfriend out of the store, but both insisted upon looking at the merchandise. After a few minutes, Parker tapped Brennan's arm.

"Bones, can I have…" he started.

"No," Booth said.

Brennan frowned at him. "What do you want, Parker?"

"That shirt," he said, pointing at a black Space Mountain shirt that showed Mickey, Donald, and Goofy riding the ride. "That's all. I could wear it to school next week and show all my friends!"

"He hasn't gotten a t-shirt yet," Brennan said to Booth.

"Fine," Booth conceded, earning grins from both of his companions.

They went to the cash register to make the purchase. When the cashier held Brennan's card out after running it through the machine, Booth grabbed it and put it in his wallet.

"Hey!" Brennan protested. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm cutting you off," he said. "You can't buy him more stuff without a credit card."

"I have another," Brennan smirked.

Booth pulled the same trick as she paid for lunch, taking her second and final credit card.

"I feel unhappy about this situation," Brennan said as he pocketed her second card.

"Yeah, well, you don't always get what you want, either," Booth said. "You can have them back tonight."

* * *

After lunch, they took the train to Frontierland. Booth grabbed fast passes for Splash Mountain, and the three headed over to Big Thunder Mountain. Brennan wrapped her arms around Booth when they reached the end of the line.

"You are very affectionate today," he said as she placed small kisses behind his ear.

"Are you going to kiss me on the ride again?" she softly asked.

"That's the plan, if we can convince Parker to sit by himself again," Booth said, matching her tone.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Parker asked.

"What do you think about sitting by yourself on this ride?" Booth said.

"Okay," Parker shrugged. "Why?"

Booth began to simply say that he and Brennan wanted to sit together, while Brennan launched into a scientific explanation on why he would be kept more secure by the single lap bar if he didn't sit with one of the fully-grown adults due to the disparity in their size. Parker looked confused by the dual answers.

"Huh?" Parker asked.

Booth, who had finished his reply well ahead of Brennan, added, "What did you say?"

Brennan sighed. "We would like to sit together because your father kissed me on this ride last year, so it has sentimental value for us."

"Oh," Parker said. He looked at the mountain and scrunched up his face. "I don't know if I want to ride this anymore."

"What? Why?" Booth asked.

"Because if you and Bones had to make out to make the ride interesting, how fun can it be?" Parker reasoned.

After Thunder Mountain, they did the Haunted Mansion and a few other Frontierland attractions before stopping to watch the afternoon parade. After that ended, it was time to ride Splash Mountain.

"Why'd you only get two passes?" Parker asked.

"Bones doesn't like water rides," Booth said.

"Meet you here?" Brennan asked. Booth nodded and left with Parker to ride the ride.

Brennan stood on the bridge in front of Splash Mountain, watching log after log drop down the 52 foot hill. Once Booth and Parker were out of sight, she pulled out her phone and dialed Angela.

"Happy anniversary, sweetie!" Angela said as soon as she answered the call.

"Thank you," Brennan smiled.

"So I haven't talked to you since the other night. Is Booth still being an idiot?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call my boyfriend an idiot, Ange," Brennan said.

"Sorry," she said. "But seriously, how's it going?"

Brennan briefly divulged details of Booth's bedridden outburst, his subsequent early morning apology, and the day's Main Street joke to her best friend before saying, "He said it was a joke, and I'm sure that's how he meant it, but there's obviously still a problem."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Angela said. "Are you sure we can't call him an idiot? It might make you feel better."

"The joke was in poor taste, but he's not an idiot," Brennan said. "I'm just being too sensitive and emotional about the situation."

"No, you're not. Do not blame yourself," Angela said. "What are you going to do?"

"Ignore it, enjoy my anniversary, and talk about it when we get home," Brennan said.

They chatted until Brennan spotted her boys walking towards her. She disconnected the call as the thoroughly drenched boy and his slightly-less-soaked father approached her.

"_That_ is why I don't like water rides," Brennan said.

"The water cannon hit me right in the head! It was _awesome_!" Parker cried.

"How about a hug, Bones?" Booth offered, walking towards her.

"No," she said, playfully ducking under his outstretched arms. "Get away from me."

"Where to now, Parker?" Booth asked.

"Pirates!" he cheered. "I've been waiting for that one _all day_!"

The smiles on Booth and Brennan's faces faded. They hadn't even been near the building yet. Parker, who had turned to watch logs fall down Splash Mountain, didn't notice.

"We have to do it," Booth muttered.

"I know," Brennan muttered back.

"We've put it off all day," he said.

"I know," she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Booth sat in the middle of their row as they climbed into the pirate ride. Brennan squeezed his hand as the boat rode into the darkness, and he used his thumb to soothingly stroke her skin. When they descended down the waterfall into the room where Billie's body had been found, Brennan buried her face into Booth's arm, suddenly not caring that his shirt was wet. Parker giggled as water splashed up, simulating a cannonball hitting the water. The boat traveled about halfway through the large, dark room before Booth leaned down.

"Remember how you said I'm the one who's normally creeped out by things like this?" Booth whispered.

"Yes," Brennan said.

"Yeah, I really want this boat to start moving faster," he said. Brennan nodded her agreement. "Plus, what if _this_ is the boat where…"

"Please don't finish that sentence," Brennan said, cutting him off.

"You must have already been thinking that," he said.

"Yes, but as irrational as this is, I'd prefer if the thought wasn't vocalized," she said.

They finally pulled into the unloading station after what seemed like an eternity to Booth and Brennan. Parker, who was nearest the exit, hopped out of the boat first and exclaimed, "Let's do it again! The line wasn't very long. We should do it again!"

"No!" both Booth and Brennan replied.

"You guys are _weird_ today," Parker said, heading for the escalator.

* * *

Parker fell asleep almost before his head hit the pillow that night at the hotel. Booth stepped out of the shower, tied a towel around his waist, and walked out of the bathroom to find a freshly-showered Brennan sitting on the counter. She wore her black pajama tank and a pair of black panties. Her wet hair hung loose, the tips brushing against her shoulders, and she had one leg slung across the sink so she could apply lotion to her skin. The area was illuminated by only a small night light.

"I don't think I've ever felt that disgusting in my life," Booth said. "That shower felt really good."

"It would've felt better if you had showered with me," Brennan said with a slight pout.

Upon seeing how quickly and soundly Parker had fallen asleep, she had repeatedly asked Booth to hop into the shower with her. He refused, of course, much to her dismay. To make it up to her, Booth grabbed the leg that was stretched across the counter, spun her around so she was facing forward, and stepped between her legs, curling her long legs just above where the white towel rested on his hips. She scooted forward so she was sitting on just the edge of the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing the full length of her warm body against his bare torso. He groaned softly, reached up to gently brush her damp bangs out of her face, and captured her lips in a tender kiss. The kisses they shared were deep but had no sense of urgency as both relaxed into the kiss, savoring the taste of each other on their lips. Booth slowly stroked her legs and gently rubbed his tongue against hers, and she struggled not to moan.

"Baby," he whispered as she finally let out a breathy sigh. "I know you're wanting romance tonight, and I wish I could give it to you, but I promise…when we get back home, I'll give you the anniversary night you deserve."

"You will?" she asked, sensually running her toes along the small of his back against the edge of his towel.

"Yeah, anything you want," he promised, kissing her lips again. "Like dancing and candlelight and a long, steamy shower for two."

"That does sound quite nice," she smiled. Her eyes slipped shut as his hands began to wander over her body. She moaned quietly, looked up at him and whispered, "I want you."

He reclaimed her lips in a passionate kiss. Her hands stroked along his bare chest and back while his slipped under her tank top to do the same. His palms brushed against her breasts, earning him another slight moan, and he curved his hands around her shoulders. The skin on her shoulders felt abnormally hot, so he pulled away abruptly.

"Take your shirt off," he said, turning to quietly pull the deep red curtain shut, blocking the vanity area from the rest of the room. When he turned back to her, she was topless and had stood to slide her panties off as well. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I thought we were going to have sex on the counter," she said seriously.

"It's not a curtain of invisibility, Bones!"

"Then why'd you tell me to take my top off?"

"Your skin is on fire, baby," he said, examining her back. "Your shoulders are all sunburned. You don't feel that?"

"It must look worse than it feels," Brennan said, turning to inspect what she could see of her skin in the mirror. "I was still a little pink from my last trip to Maluku. I guess I should've been more diligent in reapplying sun block today."

Booth wordlessly fished through Brennan's toiletry bag for the tube of aloe vera gel that she had packed just in case someone needed it. He pulled her close and began spreading the gel onto her upper back. The gel felt cold against her overheated skin, and she squirmed.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Honestly, no," she said. "But thank you."

Booth put the gel back in her bag, cleaned off his hands, and gripped her waist, hoisting her back up on the counter to let her back dry.

"I'll get a shirt for you to sleep in when that dries a bit," he said. "The straps on your tank top will just irritate it."

She nodded, and he pecked her lips softly before letting his lips drift over to her neck. He began sucking on the spot that he knew drove her crazy, and she leaned her head back on a sigh.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you," he mumbled against her neck.

He moved back to her mouth for a few more sexy kisses before returning to their favorite spot on her neck. Brennan sighed into his shoulder before stretching her head back again. She curled her fingers into his hair and wrapped her legs back around him, content to spend the rest of the night with Booth's hands and lips on her skin.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! How about leaving a reviewing and making this day a little better? _


	5. A Day of Luxury

_Hi guys! I'm so, so, so sorry it's taking me so long to update! I hope I didn't lose too many of you readers. Remember that job I got at a new Disney Store? Yeah, they own my life now. When I'm not in class, I'm in the store, and when I'm not in the store, I'm in class. It's SO much fun, but it's now all I do. I barely have enough time to _watch_ Bones, let alone write about it anymore._

_So, that being said, this is the last chapter, and I have no idea how this chapter is going to read since I've been writing it for a month and probably never wrote more than about half a page at a time. I hope it serves as an alright ending to the story._

_As always, Bones, Disney, and in this chapter, Sea World and Aquatica, are not mine, and please review!_

* * *

Brennan woke the next morning to gentle kisses across her face. She slowly opened her eyes to find Booth sitting on the edge of the mattress, on her side of the bed, hovering over her. When he saw that her blue eyes had finally opened, he leaned down for a few kisses to the lips.

"Good morning," he said quietly against her mouth.

"Yes, it is," she replied with a sigh.

"So…after last night, I think I agree with you. We should've brought Angela and Hodgins," he said.

She laughed lightly. "Why?"

"When are we ever going to get the chance to have wild sex in a pirate ship again?" he lamented. Brennan grinned.

"Given Jack's obsession for pirates and Angela's general enthusiasm for sex, I think it's safe to assume that had we brought them and given them a room like this one, _we_ wouldn't be the ones having pirate sex," she said.

Booth took a moment to ponder that possibility. "I guess you have a point."

"Fooling around on the bathroom counter was quite enjoyable, though," she said in a low whisper as she curled her fingers around his neck to hold his face in place near hers.

"The way you trembled around my fingers while I touched you…that was more than just _fooling around_," he whispered.

They began kissing again, and Booth maneuvered himself over her from the edge of the bed to lay by her side. She stroked her hand down his chest as they kissed and was surprised to discover that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Why are you half-dressed?" she asked.

"Bathing suit," he said. "We're going to Aquatica, remember?"

She glanced at the clock. The water park would be opening in 30 minutes, and it would take them at least 15 to drive there. "Why did you let me sleep so late?" she asked.

Parker chose that moment to walk out of the bathroom. He, too, was dressed in swim gear. He hopped up onto his bed and said, "Hi, Bones."

"Hi," she smiled. "Booth?"

"Listen…I think maybe you should stay here today," Booth said. "I'm worried about you going to a water park and having so much of your skin exposed to the sun all day."

"Don't worry about that," she said. "I'm fine."

"But you're already burned. I don't want it to get worse," he said.

"And what would I do here all day?" she asked.

"You can sleep in. I know you have your laptop. You can write. You can talk to Angela," he said. "You could go to one of the spas…get a massage and one of those lavender baths or whatever."

"I want to go with you and Parker," she said. "I'll be better with sunscreen today. I don't want to miss anything."

"Bones," he started, about to ask her if she was sure.

"Oh, I know, I've missed three months, so what's one more day, right?" she said sarcastically, tossing the covers back and climbing out of bed. She fished her bathing suit out of her suitcase and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going!"

Booth, as shocked by her remark as she had been at his all week, was speechless as he watched her disappear into the bathroom. Parker shifted his glance between Brennan and his father as he, too, felt the uncomfortable tension fill the room.

"What did you do?" Parker asked.

"I…have no idea," Booth said.

Brennan sighed as she shut the door to the bathroom and heard Parker asking Booth what he had done. She knew he was only worrying about the strong Florida rays worsening her inflamed skin, something she, too, felt a little nervous about. She knew he didn't deserve to be snapped at, but it was if, she thought as she began stripping out of her pajamas, she had unconsciously decided that their anniversary was over and she could be as mad at him as she wanted. She heard the hotel door open and close as the boys left to grab breakfast, and she wandered into the bedroom to grab her cell phone, quickly coming up with a solution to the sun exposure problem.

By the time Booth and Parker returned with food, Brennan had retreated back into the bathroom. Parker sat down at the table and grabbed a blueberry muffin.

"You should've gotten her flowers," Parker said. "You made her mad, and Mom always gets happy when she gets flowers. We're still going to Aquatica, right?"

"Yes," Booth said. "I'll go get Bones."

"What?" she snapped when he knocked on the door.

"Everything okay in there?" he asked. "And I'm sorry. You know what you can handle, so if you want to go, I really want you to come with us."

"I'm going to go," she said. "I'm just having a bit of a wardrobe problem."

He chuckled. She asked why that was so funny. He replied, "The one time I've _ever_ heard you say you're having wardrobe issues is the one day where all you have to do is put on a bathing suit."

She opened the door and pulled him into the bathroom. She was wearing the bottom portion of her sea green bikini and had a towel curled around her naked chest. "I'm having issues because the top piece of my bathing suit does not sufficiently cover the mark you left on my breast last night, and I don't find that to be very appropriate for a public, familial setting."

He shot her a disbelieving glare. "I did not leave a mark on your breast."

She pulled the towel away from her body to reveal a large red mark on the upper right side of her left breast. "This was not there when I showered last night, so yes, you did."

He gently rubbed the pad of his thumb against the love bite on her chest. "That is so sexy," he mumbled. "But I don't even remember doing that."

"Well, I think it happened when I surprised you by unhooking the knot on your towel and firmly wrapping my fingers around your…" She was cut off when a knock at the bathroom door caused Booth to clamp his hand over Brennan's mouth. Parker wanted to know what was going on in there.

"Uh…Bones just wanted my opinion on her bathing suit," Booth said.

"I'm sure you look pretty, Bones," Parker said. "I really want to go!"

Brennan put the top of her bikini back on and looked down at her chest. "See?"

"Can I make a suggestion without you getting mad at me?" Booth asked.

"How could I possibly know how I'll react if I don't know what you're about to say?"

"Wear a t-shirt over the suit. It'll cover the hickey and protect you from the sun."

"That is an excellent idea!" she said.

"Don't sound so surprised," he said. "I have my moments."

"So do I," she grinned. "You're not going to have to worry about _any_ of us being in the sun all day."

* * *

Once they arrived at Aquatica, the water park connected to Orlando's Sea World, they scanned their tickets to get into the park and headed for the locker rental line. When they reached the booth, Booth pulled out the fifteen dollars required to rent a large locker for the day.

"You don't need that," Brennan told him. She turned to the employee. "I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. I called this morning about a cabana."

The man looked up her reservation on his computer. "A premium cabana, right?" he asked. Brennan nodded, handing over her credit card. He swiped it, passed it back to her, and said, "Amelia will take you to your cabana. Have a nice day."

The young girl named Amelia led them around the island-themed park to the double wave pool. They traipsed through the sand, weaving through lounge chairs as they walked towards the pools, and Parker grabbed Booth's arm, wanting to know where they were going.

"I have no idea, buddy," Booth said. "This is a surprise to me, too."

Amelia unlatched a small white rope at the end of the rocky island separating the two pools and gestured for the family to walk onto the island. They did so, and she reattached the rope. She told them it was just a little bit further and led them down a twisted trail on the foliage-covered island until they reached an open area with two large cabanas. The cabana had much nicer lounge furniture than the beach they had come from, as well as a ceiling fan and a mini-fridge stocked with drinks.

"Cool," Parker said.

"Well, here we are," Amelia said. "This is one of our premium cabanas. The fridge contains juice, soda, and water, 16 drinks in total. There's a locker for your things. You'll find towels, sunscreen samples, and a twenty-percent-off coupon for any of our gift shops inside. These canvas sides can be closed if you want some more privacy, and it's yours for the day."

She handed each of them a wristband to let employees know they were allowed to be on the island and gave Brennan a number for the customer service desk, explaining that if they needed anything or would like to order food, call and a waiter would be by. Brennan thanked her as she left.

"A waiter?" Booth asked.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Brennan asked.

"It's a little extravagant. We don't need any kind of special treatment," he said.

"But I paid for it," she said.

"It's not the greatest message to send Parker," he said.

"I'm a celebrity, Booth. I could've requested an escort at Disney to take us through the park and into the back entrances, thereby skipping all the lines, but I didn't, and Parker had to stand in line like everyone else," she said. "One day of luxury won't undo everything you've taught him. Plus, now we have a place to escape the sun."

"How much did you pay for this?" he asked.

"About two hundred dollars," she shrugged.

"Bones! That's more than we paid to get in the park!" he exclaimed.

"Uh-huh," she replied as if he had said something completely insignificant.

Parker was getting very antsy to get into the water, so Brennan deposited her things into the locker, secured them, and followed them out of the cabana. They began with Parker's most-anticipated attraction, Roa's Rapids. Roa's Rapids was a centrally-located river that looped around the middle of the park. Unlike lazy rivers, this river was fast-moving and didn't involve floating around on a tube. Due to the quick current, Aquatica required people of Parker's height to wear a life vest. Booth fastened a blue vest to the displeased boy, and they waded into the river until the current swept them away. Brennan started laughing as she surfaced after being dragged underwater when the current pulled them past a rocky island and jumping fountains.

"What?" Booth asked with a smile. Her laugh was infectious.

"This should not be this entertaining," she said.

Parker hopped onto Booth's back. "This is awesome," he said. "It'd be better without this stupid vest, though."

"It's to keep you safe, Parker," Brennan said.

"Dad could keep me safe," Parker said. "He's really good at that!"

They floated around the rapids river a few times before heading to Omacka Rocka, the newest attraction at the park. It was a single-rider tube slide that featured high-speed tubes and half-pipe funnels. Parker headed down the blue side as Brennan went down the purple. Booth followed his son and met them at the bottom.

"I ended up going backwards almost the whole way down!" Parker laughed.

"Me too," Booth said. "That was cool."

The slides they had just gone down shared a structure with Whanau Way, a set of four brightly-colored slides, two on each side. The two sides were mirror images, offering a total of two different slide designs. They chose to go down the yellow slide first. Brennan went first, by herself, and Booth and Parker, together, followed. When they hit the pool, Booth came up from underwater and looked at Brennan, who was standing at the top of the pool's stairs. Her dark wet bangs clung to her forehead, her skin glistened in the sun, his gray t-shirt was tied around her stomach, and the bare legs that emerged from her green bikini seemed to go on for miles. Booth walked out of the pool and kissed her.

"You're pretty," he said. She laughed.

"I imagine I look like a drowned cat," Brennan said.

He kissed her again. "You're _pretty_."

"Thank you," she said softly.

They went down a few more slides in that area and splashed around in the two wave pools for a while before they had lunch and Brennan retreated back to the cabana to avoid the worst of the sun's afternoon rays. After a few hours, Booth headed back to the cabana to check on Brennan. She had closed the canvas sides of the cabana, so he slowly peeled one back to enter, worried she may be sleeping. He found her lying in a reclined position on one of the loungers reading a book. The small fan was whirring above her, and an open water bottle lay on the small table beside her. She had removed the gray tee Booth had given her and was lying on the chair in just her bikini.

"Hi," she smiled as she saw Booth walking in.

"Hey," he said. "Why'd you close up?"

"I rented the cabana to escape the sun, and shortly after I returned, I realized the cabana alone wasn't sufficiently serving its purpose," she explained.

"Having fun in here?" he asked.

"Yes, actually," she said. "It's very relaxing."

"Good," he said. "I don't want you to be bored."

"I'm not," she smiled, reaching up to run her hand over his wet, bare chest as he sat down at the end of her lounger. "Where's Parker?"

"You'll never believe this," Booth said. "He ran into a kid that also went to that baseball camp in Maryland last summer. They said they're going to ride the racer slides until someone stops them. What are the chances, right?"

Brennan grinned. "That is an extremely unlikely happenstance," she agreed.

"You're going to come back in the water at some point, right?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "When the worst of the afternoon sun is over."

"Good," he smiled. "I want to lay in the lazy river with you."

Brennan grinned, then let her face fall. "Can we talk before Parker gets back? We need to talk…"

Booth lightly caressed her leg in comfort. "Okay, what's going on?"

"I don't know what exactly you said about our anniversary not being real, and I'm not sure I want to know…" she started. She saw him about to protest and said, "Please, I…I need to say this." He nodded, and she continued, "The comments you've made about all the time I've been gone, whether intentioned to be a joke or not, they've…it's hard for me to say this."

"Bones, you can tell me anything," he encouraged.

"They really hurt my feelings. I don't think you realize just how much they hurt my feelings," she said. Booth remained silent, unsure of what to say. Brennan looked at him, tears in her eyes, and softly asked, "Did I miss this up? Did going to Maluku wreck us?"

"You didn't mess this up," he said, moving closer to her.

"But you're upset," she said, letting a few tears fall.

"You're the one crying here," he said. He reached out and wiped her tears away.

"I'm still scared, Booth! Last year, I told you I was scared to be in a relationship with you because I was afraid I'd do something to ruin it, and I feel like I've ruined it. _You've_ made me feel like I ruined it!"

"You didn't," he said.

"Then why did you say those things?" she asked.

"You're right. I'm…upset. The situation _sucks_, Bones."

"We could go to a counselor. Sweets, or…or someone else if you're uncomfortable with talking to him. I don't believe in that, but you're the one with the problem, so I'm willing to try if that's what you require," she said.

"No…no, honey…thank you, but we don't need anything like that. It's not an _us_ problem. It's…I'm having a hard time accepting that our first year wasn't what I always imagined you and I as a couple would be like," he said.

"How so?" she asked.

"Well, you know, I thought we'd catch bad guys together during the day and fall asleep together at night, and then, suddenly, my partner quit her job and decided to jet off to Asia for a fourth of the year, and she took my girlfriend with her."

"Your partner and your girlfriend are the same person…me," she said.

"Yes, but I went from thinking I'd see you all day to not seeing you or really talking to you _at all_ for nearly six _weeks_," he said. "You understand why this has been hard for me?"

"Yes," she said. "But I still believe it was something I needed to do."

"I know," he said. "I understand that. I want you to do things that you feel passionate about or that you strongly believe in. It's just been a weird adjustment for me."

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I realize now that my time away has been very hard on you."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Even though the day you got back that first time was one of my favorite days."

She cringed. "That wasn't a good day for me."

"It was wonderful," he said.

_Booth stood in the baggage claim area of Dulles airport, eagerly awaiting his girlfriend's arrival. He held a small bouquet of daffodils in his hands, hoping they'd put a smile on her face. He knew she probably wouldn't be in the best of moods when she arrived. It had taken four flights and nearly a full twenty-four hours of traveling to get home from Indonesia, and Booth knew that was enough to exhaust even the best of travelers._

_He almost didn't recognize her as he saw her coming down the escalator. Her hair had been cut short, bangs covered her forehead, and she was dressed as if she had stepped right from the dig site onto the plane. Her cheeks glowed pink from prolonged exposure to the sun. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face, and when she finally spotted him, instead of smiling, her eyes welled up with tears. She walked over to him, dropped her carry-on to the floor, and fell into his chest for a tight hug, crying softly into his neck._

_"Hey," he whispered. "Hey, why the tears? What's wrong, baby?"_

_She said nothing in response but curled her hand around his face and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, public setting be damned. When she pulled away, she breathed, "I love you."_

_He smiled. "You do?" She had never said that to him before. She nodded. "I love you, too, Bones. I'm so glad you're back."_

_"Me too," she said._

_"You cut your hair," he said, playing with the ends of her new short locks._

_"Miss Wick cut it. Is it bad? I haven't really had a mirror in quite some time."_

_"No, it's not bad. You're beautiful, honey. How do you feel?"_

_"Tired," she cried. "And hungry, and I just really missed you."_

_He handed her the flowers, earning him a grin, and picked up her bag. "Then let me take you home."_

"That's why?" Brennan asked. "Because I said I loved you?"

"Well, yeah, you'd never said that before," he said. "What'd you think it was?"

"That night when you sat me on the edge of the bathtub, and you kneeled in the water and made love to me against the wall," she said.

"Well," he grinned. "That was good, too."

"Would you like to come with me in May? To Indonesia, I mean," she said. "You'll probably be bored most of the day while I'm working, but at least we could sleep next to each other at night."

"That's okay," he smiled. "That would take almost all of my vacation days, and I'd rather save some of those for when you get back."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I hate it when you leave, but I love it when you come home," Booth said. "You let me take care of you, and I like taking care of you."

She leaned up for a few sweet kisses and said, "This is almost over. I'm going to be home for good soon."

"I know," he said. "And I'm sorry. My job this week was to make you feel loved and instead, I spent our first anniversary making you feel small."

"You'll just have to do better next year," she said.

He kissed her again and stood, walking to the side of the cabana. He pulled one of the canvas sides back and peered onto the quiet island.

"So it's pretty secluded back here, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "No one has rented the other premium cabana, so it's been very quiet…very private. Why?"

He suggestively wiggled his eyebrows and sat back down on her lounger, rubbing his hand up and down her leg. "What do you think?"

"You can't be serious," she said. "Bathroom counter, no, but aquatic water park, yes?"

"Well," he said, pulling her onto his lap. "Maybe forcing myself to stop kissing you last night has caused me to see the error in my ways."

"Oh, has it?" she grinned, lightly teasing his lips with hers.

He lay back onto the lounger, pulling her down on top of him. "Yeah…and we've got a lot of lost time to make up for. I miss _this_ when you're in Maluku, too."

She pulled back and stared at him, a look of surprise on her face. He laughed.

"What?" he asked.

"Maluku…you…you finally said it right," she said with a smile. "I mean, I _know_ you know how to say it and only say it wrong to irritate me, but you just said it correctly."

"Don't expect it to happen again," he teased, pulling her back down to meet his lips.

* * *

A short while later, Booth and Brennan put their swimsuits, and the t-shirt, in Brennan's case, back on and walked hand-in-hand across the park to meet Parker. They walked up to the racing slides just as Parker and his friend slid down them. When Parker saw his father, he said goodbye to his old camp-mate and walked over to them.

"You guys look happy," Parker noticed.

"Well, we're at a water park," Booth said. "What's not to be happy about?"

"Does that mean you're done fighting?" Parker asked.

"We weren't really fighting," Brennan said.

"Well, are you going to stop being mad at each other now?" Parker asked.

"You could tell something was wrong?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah," Parker shrugged. "What now?"

"Gift shop?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah!" Parker agreed.

"Bones," Booth groaned.

"We got a free coupon with the cabana. We can't let it go to waste," Brennan said.

"Yeah, _Dad_," Parker said accusingly. "Come on, Bones. Let's go buy me something."

Parker grabbed her hand and started walking towards the gift shop. Brennan shot a look back at her displeased boyfriend. She grinned.

"Coming?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, an amused smile on his face, and began following them to the gift shop, eager to spend the rest of the day with his family.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to review!_


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